Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the Los Angeles Police Department handcuffed musician Wyclef Jean. The LAPD has since released a statement (below) that they were not involved in the incident.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Station released a statement (below):
“It is unfortunate that Mr. Jean was detained for six minutes during this investigation, as he had no involvement whatsoever in this violent crime. However, Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriffs are frequently required to make lawful detentions, under the strict parameters provided by law, in the interest of catching often dangerous and armed suspects in our communities and keeping the public safe. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is apologetic for any inconvenience this process caused Mr. Jean. We are grateful we were able to apprehend the robbery suspects and that no one was seriously injured.”
ORIGINAL STORY:
Musician Wyclef Jean has criticized the Los Angeles Police Department for mistaking him for a man who robbed a nearby gas station.
The Grammy winner took to social media early Tuesday with videos of himself being held by police on the street in West Hollywood.
The Haitian rapper tweeted a video of himself standing next to a police car after being handcuffed.
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As the police stood next to him, Jean said in front of a camera, “The police have handcuffs on me. They just took off my Haitian bandana.”
“That’s what’s going on right now with Wyclef in L.A. right now.”
The 47-year-old musician said he was working in the studio before he was handcuffed and didn’t know why he was being detained.
“LAPD another case of mistaken identity,” he tweeted. “Black man with red bandana robbed a gas station as I was in the studio working but im in handcuffs?”
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The Fugees founder took to Instagram to post another video captioned, “Why am I in Handcuffs!!!!!????? This is what I said to the LAPD after they put me in Handcuffs for mistaken identity !!!!!!!”
At a nearby gas station in West Hollywood, someone reported a robbery at gunpoint and a stolen wallet, according to a CBS report.
The victim provided a description of the suspect’s vehicle and shortly after the authorities spotted a vehicle that matched it — but the vehicle belonged to Jean.
According to the report, he was detained for a “brief period of time.” Authorities later determined he was not the suspect in the case.
Police eventually arrested the correct suspect and recovered the stolen wallet.
Jean further explained that when police stopped him, he was told not to move and had handcuffs placed on him without being asked to identify himself.
“They proceeded to ignore me and I was treated like a criminal until other police showed up and pointed out they had wrong person,” Jean tweeted.
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Some of Jean’s lyrics from his past songs seem to be strangely prophetic.
In his song, Apocalypse, the musician sings, “The headline reads every ghetto sad story. A rookie shoots a boy over mistaken identity…”
In the same song, Jean also sings:
“I was on the highway pushing a black viper. A car pulls up, is he a jack or a sniper (sniper).
A blue range rover, he says “Pull over!” I didn’t know he was a DT undercover
I screamed out my lungs “This is discrimination!
What’s the charge?” He said you just robbed a gas station
Who me? Not me! It couldn’t be! I was at the Grammys with Brandy Didn’t you see me on TV?”
Watch the Wyclef Jean’s videos of the incident in the video above.
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